COVID-19School ManualSummary K-12 public, private, and charter schools

Updated 12/17/2020

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What happens if students, teachers, or employees test positive for COVID-19?

Students, teachers, or employees should isolate right away if they test positive for COVID-19. This means to stay home except to get medical care. You should not go to school or work.

If you’ve tested positive, you should isolate until you have been:• Fever-free for 24 hours, and• Your respiratory symptoms have improved for 24 hours, and • It has been at least 10 days since you first got sick. • If you did not have symptoms, you should isolate for 10 days from the day

you were tested.

You are at an increased risk of getting infected and infecting others if you have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

Close contact1 means you were closer than 6 feet or 2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from someone who tested positive for COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or longer within a 24-hour period.2 You may also have a close contact exposure if:• You cared for someone at home who is sick with COVID-19. • You had direct physical contact with the person who has COVID-19 (hugged or

kissed them).• You shared eating or drinking utensils with a person who has COVID-19. • The person who has COVID-19 sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory

droplets on you.

If you were in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, up to 2 days before he or she had symptoms, you were exposed to the virus and should quarantine. Even if the person who has COVID-19 didn’t have any symptoms, he or she is infectious up to 2 days before they were tested.

What happens if students, teachers, or employees are exposed to someone with COVID-19?

1 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

2 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/contact-tracing-plan/appendix.html#contact

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How long do students, teachers, or employees have to quarantine?These guidelines only apply to exposures that occur at school. They are not intended for use by institutions of higher education or child care settings. The guidelines DO NOT apply if you live with someone who has COVID-19 or are exposed outside of the school setting.

If either person was NOT wearing a mask at the time of exposure

Students, teachers, or employees who were not wearing a mask at the time of exposure or who were exposed to someone who was not wearing a mask may end quarantine:• On day 10 without testing. If you don’t have symptoms of COVID-19, you can end

quarantine 10 days after the last time you had close contact with the person who tested positive.

• On day 7 with a negative test result. You can get tested on day 7 of your quarantine. You can end quarantine if your test is negative and you do not have any symptoms of COVID-19. You must wait at least 7 days after the exposure to be tested. The test can be a PCR or rapid antigen test. You must continue to quarantine until you get your test results back.

If both people wore masks at the time of exposure

Students, teachers, or employees who were exposed to someone with COVID-19 do not have to quarantine if:• The school can verify that both people were wearing face masks (the person

who was exposed and the person who tested positive) as defined by state public health order, and

• The person who was exposed does not have any symptoms of COVID-19.

If at any time during the 14 days after their exposure a person develops symptoms of COVID-19, he or she should isolate and get tested right away. If the person does not have symptoms, he or she should wait 7 days after they were exposed to get tested.

You need to watch for symptoms until it has been 14 days since you were exposed to the virus.

There is a small chance you can still get COVID-19. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you need to isolate at home, call your healthcare provider, and may need to get tested again.

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How long do students, teachers, or employees have to quarantine if they have a mask exemption or were only wearing a face shield?

Students, teachers, or employees who were not wearing a mask at the time of exposure or who were exposed to someone who was not wearing a mask may end quarantine:• On day 10 without testing. If you don’t have symptoms of COVID-19, you can

end quarantine 10 days after the last time you had close contact with the person who tested positive.

• On day 7 with a negative test result. You can get tested on day 7 of your quarantine. You can end quarantine if your test is negative and you don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19. You must wait at least 7 days after the exposure to be tested. You must continue to quarantine until you get your test results back.

Anyone who is exposed should watch for symptoms until it has been 14 days after their exposure. There is a small chance he or she can still get COVID-19. If the person has symptoms of COVID-19, he or she should isolate at home, call their healthcare provider, and may need to get tested again.

If students, teachers, or employees live with someone who has COVID-19, how long do they have to quarantine?

If someone you live with tests positive for COVID-19, it is called a household contact. Household contacts are at a much higher risk of getting infected with the virus. Students, teachers, or employees who are a household contact should quarantine for 10 days from the last day of exposure to the person who tested positive. You must finish the entire 10-day quarantine, even if you don’t have symptoms or test negative. You may not end quarantine before 10 days. It can be very hard to stay isolated from people who live in your home. If you live with a person who tests positive for COVID-19, you may keep having exposures and may need to quarantine longer than 10 days. Every time you come into close contact with the person who tested positive while they are infectious, your quarantine starts over because you were exposed to the virus again.

10Days

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If you are exposed to COVID-19 again (a new exposure) within 90 days of testing positive for COVID-19 and do not have symptoms of COVID-19, you don’t need to quarantine or be tested again during this 90-day timeframe.

You should follow these guidelines for 14 days from the date of your last exposure:• Take your temperature before school or work. • Check for symptoms of COVID-19 every day. • Wear a face covering when you are at school, work, or around people you don’t live with. • If you get sick or have symptoms of COVID-19, isolate for at least 10 days after your symptoms start and call a doctor

or healthcare provider to find out if you should get tested for COVID-19 again.

If you are exposed to COVID-19 again (a new exposure) and it has been more than 90 days since you tested positive for COVID-19, you should quarantine and get tested again. If you get sick or have symptoms while on quarantine, isolate and call a doctor or healthcare provider. However, you may meet the criteria to end quarantine found on page 2.

What happens if students, teachers, or employees are exposed to COVID-19 more than once?3

x23 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/contact-tracing-plan/contact-tracing.html

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• Check for symptoms of COVID-19 every day, including taking your temperature if possible. If you do not have a thermometer, check your skin to see if it feels warm or looks red. A helpful booklet called, “What to do if you are on quarantine or isolation,” can be downloaded at https://coronavirus.utah.gov/protect-yourself/.

• Stay home and away from other people as much as possible. Don’t go to school, work, extracurricular activities, religious services, family gatherings, or other activities until your quarantine is over or you have met the testing requirements to end quarantine early.

• Wear a face mask if you need to leave your home for essential errands like getting groceries or to get medical care. Only leave your home if you have to.

• Limit the number of visitors to your home. This is especially important if you or someone you live with is at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

• Clean surfaces that you touch often with your hands (phones, doorknobs, light switches, toilet handles, sink handles, countertops, and anything metal).

• Wash your hands with soap and water often. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol.

• Open the windows as much as you can to improve the ventilation and increase air exchanges in rooms.• Do not share food or utensils with other people.• Do not share personal items like a toothbrush with other people.

Safety precautions for students, teachers, and employees who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19

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When a school meets the outbreak thresholds outlined in the COVID-19 School Manual, the local school board (in consultation with the local health department) can decide to either: • Move all students and staff to virtual or remote learning for at least 10 days, or • Offer rapid antigen testing for all students and staff

Test to Stay (testing for school outbreaks)

Students who are offered rapid antigen testing: • Must isolate at home if they test positive. • May continue in-person learning if they test negative. • Who choose not to get tested should move to virtual or remote learning for at least 10 days.

Teachers and staff are expected to continue their normal job duties in-person if they choose not to get tested or test negative. They should isolate at home if they test positive or follow quarantine guidelines if they were exposed to COVID-19.

Contact tracing will be done for anyone who tests positive. Students, teachers, or staff who are exposed to a person who tests positive should follow the quarantine guidelines (found on page 2). • You don’t have to quarantine if both you and the person who tested positive were at school and were both wearing masks at

the time of the exposure. The person who tested positive needs to isolate for at least 10 days, even if you were both wearing a mask.

• You need to quarantine if you were exposed at school, and either you or the person who tested positive were not wearing masks. You may end quarantine on day 10 without testing, or on day 7 with a negative test result. There may be certain situations where you may need to get a 2nd test before you can return to school before day 10.

The “Test to Stay” option has different timeframes for when a person who tests positive should start isolation. If you test positive as part of “Test to Stay,” your isolation begins the day you are tested, not when your symptoms begin. You must isolate even if you don’t get symptoms. Anyone who came into close contact with you for up to 2 days before the day of your test was exposed and should quarantine. This is considered the date of last exposure for the “Test to Stay” option.

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Test to Play (testing for high school extracurricular activities)Students, teachers, and staff may participate in extracurricular activities if they: • Are tested for COVID-19 at least once every 14 days. The test can be a PCR or rapid antigen test. • Are not in isolation or quarantine. • Don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19.

You are expected to wear a mask at all times during extracurricular activities, unless you are engaged in competition play that requires heavy physical exertion or if wearing a mask could be dangerous (like swimming in a pool). You are also expected to physical distance as much as possible during extracurricular activities. This means to stay at least 6 feet or 2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) away from other people as much as possible.

Schools will provide rapid antigen testing for participants. Participants: • Must isolate at home if you test positive. • May participate in the extracurricular activity if you test negative, are not in isolation or quarantine and do not have any

symptoms of COVID-19. • Who choose not to get tested will be unable to participate in the extracurricular activity.

Schools may also provide testing to any teacher or staff who want to get tested but are not involved in extracurricular activities as part of the “Test to Play” program.

Contact tracing will be done for anyone who tests positive. Students, teachers, or staff who are exposed to a person who tests positive should follow the quarantine guidelines (found on page 2). • You don’t have to quarantine if both you and the person who tested positive were at school and were both wearing masks at the

time of the exposure. The person who tested positive needs to isolate for at least 10 days, even if you were both wearing a mask. • You need to quarantine if you were exposed at school, and either you or the person who tested positive were not wearing

masks. You may end quarantine on day 10 without testing, or on day 7 with a negative test result. There may be certain situations where you may need to get a 2nd test before you can return to school before day 10.

The “Test to Play” option has different timeframes for when a person who tests positive should start isolation. If you test positive as part of “Test to Play,” your isolation begins the day you are tested, not when your symptoms begin. You must isolate even if you don’t get symptoms. Anyone who came into close contact with you for up to 2 days before the day of your test was exposed and should quarantine. This is considered the date of last exposure for the “Test to Play” option.

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